Vogue features SMASH contributing artist Maryam Keyhani as she unveils a new collection of works at the event in June 2018.

“Handle with Care” is a collection of ceramic works based on fantastical hat creatures. Each their own character, form and size yet they coexist together. The collaboration between artists Maryam Keyhani and Dasha Valakhanovitch was commissioned for SMASH: We Are More. In this body of work the artists explore characters through materials and shapes to create surreal objects that are complex but lighthearted. (Which is what the world could use right now!) A series where all these characters come together and form a world of their own.

Check out the interview that describes the art program approach for June 2018's SMASH Contemporary Art Party at the Gardiner Museum.

(excerpt) "What are you looking forward to most about the event?

Throughout my career, my favourite projects have been the ones that catalyze a grand collaboration of the creative community and showcase artists who shape modern culture. The program for SMASH brings together exceptionally talented artists and creatives from Toronto and Montreal. It’s an experience inspired by the beauty of the Gardiner Museum and the creative energy of the Toronto/Montreal corridor. This year’s robust art program builds on our reputation as one of the great contemporary art parties in Toronto, and I can’t wait to see it IRL."

An in-depth interview with some of the placemaking creatives actively pushing a new agenda in Toronto's high stakes space game. Jacquelyn was invited to share her perspectives, excerpt below:

“The creative economy outperforms the general economy in Toronto. Our cultural exports (especially in music) are world-renowned. The use of empty and subsidized spaces enables Toronto to incubate talent authentically, build community and exchange ideas,” said Jacquelyn West, who ran Rally Ossington, a first-of-its-kind placemaking project designed to spark the local creative economy and act as hub for ideas, creative entrepreneurs, and cultural showcase.Continued here

Torontoist spoke with panelists from "“Be it Resolved: Is Toronto a Playground for the Rich?,” Andray Domise, Shawn Micallef, and Jacquelyn West about why Toronto is particularly affected by income inequality, the ramifications for our growing city, and what we as individuals can do to create a more equitable community.

"West feels that we as citizens haven’t demanded the returns we’re owed from the city’s lucrative period of development. “Our neighbourhoods are effectively disappearing to the highest bidder. In Toronto our systems of control have not kept pace with growth, and an appetite from land-owners for quick dollar bills supersedes long-term consideration of the people who inhabit our city. We have left the design of our modern urban communities to developers who for the majority, are seeking the quickest and highest return per square foot.” " Continued here.

Jacq's seminal project Hermann & Audrey included in the VOGUE magazine round-up of Toronto’s best cultural finds. “One of the most diverse cities in the world, Canada’s cultural capital is home to an incredibly rich variety of neighborhoods and atmospheres (see Chinatown, Little India, Little Italy, Little Portugal); its annual Pride Week is one of the world’s largest, boasting upwards of a million visitors each year; and the art, fashion, and restaurant scenes—not to mention its coffee culture—is booming. Here, we take a look at the best that the city has to offer.” See the whole list here.

Canada’s Daily Secret has named Hermann & Audrey's project, Dundas West Third Thursdays, as one of their favourite things to do in Toronto. The indecision struggle is real, but on the Third Thursday of each month the decision is easy.

Huffington Post Canada interviewed NXNE Art Curator & Festival Director, (and Hermann & Audrey Creative Director), Jacquelyn West. The article mentioned the new art program as a part of the NXNE Festival is “Something with imagination. Something with heart. Something that makes you feel.” Also, calling Hermann & Audrey’s Creative Director “a passionate city builder.” Hermann & Audrey took the reigns of NXNE’s Art portion this year for the first time in the festival’s history. Huffington Post Canada pushes the latest Canadian and world news content covering politics, business, lifestyle and the viral web.Continue reading article →

Global News mentioned the “urban takeovers” happening around the city as a part of NXNE Art, noting how “a number of artists will take over parts of the city. The article stated “NXNE Art will recreate Toronto’s iconic Graffiti Alley between Niagara St. and Tecumseth St. with murals by Toronto and Detroit-based artists.” The article served as a look inside the street art program to span across Toronto, curated and produced by Hermann & Audrey.

Yonge Street Media online took note of NXNE Art 2014 transforming the city of Toronto, “one alley at a time.” The article detailed that art “…is one of the only mediums with the capacity to shift the narrative of a city street, to transform a dark and desolate alley into a destination of beauty, a passageway that not only promotes foot traffic, but also enhances the safety of the entire area…” while noting “that’s exactly what is happening now [with NXNE Art]…throughout the city.” Yonge Street is a weekly online magazine named after the Toronto region’s main street and the spine that ties us altogether with a mission to see the future in what is working well in the Toronto region today.

A first in the history of NXNE, Hermann & Audrey produced and curated the art portion of the festival. Best of Toronto mentioned the NXNE Art Lounge as a part of NXNE Art 2014 in their online blog, stating “The North by Northeast (NXNE) festival is generally known for its music, but [at the NXNE Art opening reception], art took centre stage.” The article further noted that “the installations at NXNE Art’s opening reception showcased art and technology together at their finest.” Best of Toronto covers the best in Toronto in Fashion, Food, Arts, Culture and events.

Crave Online aimed to get an inside perspective from Jacquelyn West, Creative Director and Producer at both Hermann & Audrey and NXNE Art 2014, as “so many of the projects that are in the queue [for NXNE Art] this year get people involved.” The article sat down with Jacquelyn to discuss how NXNE Art would provide “compelling projects…kicking off a revitalization of the area by bringing art into the public realm.”

FASHION Magazine online published an article about Hermann & Audrey’s Life Cycles 2013. Life Cycles is an interactive, engagement-based art showcase and community event program about bicycles and the people who ride them. The magazine noted that “the artworks explore the bicycle as a vehicle for expression of personal style, as well as an action towards a sustainable future and unifier of community.” FASHION Magazine is filled with up-to-the-minute news from the runways of New York, London, Milan and Paris. As well as delivering the best finds in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton, FASHION Magazine continues to introduce readers to the personalities behind Canada’s fashion and retail scene.

Jacquelyn West, was mentioned in the National Post’s annual “Worthy 30″ report. The Worthy 30 is a regular social round-up on notable personalities in Toronto. Jacquelyn described as an “agency director whose list of clients have ranged from stars such as K’naan and Kanye West to companies like Reebok and H&M. Rather agreeable.”

VICE checked out Toronto’s Nuit Blanche 2012, and came across the work of Hermann & Audrey. There, the ever-witty members of VICE intended to note what makes the difference between art and garbage, beginning with Hermann & Audrey’s installation that involved framed artwork in a local park. Trees were lit with romantic lights and hundreds of frames hung from branches revealing love letters between two people for everyone to see. VICE enjoyed the “artsy” side of the installation, saying, “because they posted it to a tree, and not to the wall, it is art. See how this works? Winner: Photo on a tree.”

he Live-Art Panel, part of Hermann & Audrey’s CONTACT Photography Festival exhibit, was featured on The Star online where a panel of photographers and marketing types discussed the current state of the photographic industry as an art form. The Toronto Star is Canada’s largest daily newspaper, with the largest readership in the country.